Babies exposed to marijuana in utero showed greater language skills than those who were not exposed to the drug in utero, according to new research.
The Illinois and South Dakota scientists were surprised by their findings, which showed that children whose mothers smoked marijuana during pregnancy had developed language and motor skills that exceeded those of children whose mothers did not use the drug.
However, experts caution that the results do not mean that expectant mothers should start using marijuana, as it has also been shown to cause neurodevelopmental problems in babies, as well as low birth weight.
And while their elevated motor and language skills could mean that these children perform better in school than children who were not exposed, more research is needed to study the association.
Recreational marijuana is legal in 24 states, although others have legalized it for medicinal purposes only.
The researchers were surprised by their findings, which showed that children exposed in utero had developed language skills that exceeded those of unexposed children by one year of age.
The authors of the study, published in the journal Frontier in pediatricssaid: ‘Exposed babies demonstrated higher expressive and receptive language scores at 12 months of age, which may translate into better performance in school.
“However, more research is needed to determine the implications of these results later in childhood.”
The 207 mothers included in the study and their babies were evaluated at 12 months after the mothers submitted questionnaires about their cannabis use and their children’s development.
Cannabis use was considered to occur early in pregnancy and in the second or third trimester.
Infants were assessed using the Mullen Scales of Early Learning (MSEL) assessment tool, which assesses gross motor skills, fine motor skills, visual reception, receptive language, and expressive language.
Of the two groups of babies, 69 were exposed to cannabis in utero and 138 were not exposed. Children who were exposed early in pregnancy were more likely to improve their gross motor skills.
Based on the findings, the researchers concluded that the scores of early exposed babies could be between 1.75 and 13 points higher than those of unexposed babies.
Meanwhile, the range of scores for receptive language (a child’s ability to understand words, sounds, and visuals) was 0.4 to nearly nine points higher in babies exposed to marijuana later in life. pregnancy than in those who do not.
Lately exposed babies may also have higher expressive language scores (a child’s ability to use words and form sentences) that could be anywhere from 2.5 to almost 13 points higher than unexposed babies.
THC is the psychoactive substance in cannabis and can cross the placenta and affect the developing fetus.
A study in the magazine. Nature medicine examined birth registry data in Ontario, Canada, studying all live births from April 1, 2007 to March 31, 2012.
It found that for every 1,000 person-years of observation, four cases of autism spectrum disorder were diagnosed among children exposed to cannabis.
Person-years reflect the total observation or follow-up time of all subjects included in the study, adjusted for the number of people and the time each was monitored.
Another study in the magazine. Canadian family doctor They found that babies born to women who used cannabis had a “withdrawal”-like syndrome when they were newborns, demonstrated by increased startles and tremors and a reduced ability to adapt to light.
In preschool age, children exposed to cannabis during pregnancy began to show problems with verbal and visual reasoning, hyperactivity, attention deficit, and impulsivity.
These problems were observed in both study groups and continued throughout their school years. At age 10, these children also began to show signs of depression and anxiety.
These emotional symptoms were related to earlier cannabis use and lower achievement in adolescence and early adulthood.
A study published last year by Perinatal Services British Columbia found that marijuana use during pregnancy was most commonly linked to low birth weight, premature birth, birth defects, gestational diabetes and increased risk of cesarean section.
In some areas of the US, up to a quarter of pregnant women use marijuana during pregnancy, according to a study published in the journal JAMA found.
And in 2022, researchers in Canada found that one in 50 pregnant women used cannabis in legalized areas.
The same study found that expectant mothers who used cannabis were 32 percent more likely to be diagnosed with gestational diabetes and 13 percent more likely to need a cesarean section, increasing the risks for both mother and child. baby during childbirth.
The researchers behind the latest study said: ‘Based on concerns about neurodevelopmental impairment as well as maternal and fetal exposure to smoking, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) recommends avoiding cannabis use in women who are pregnant or planning to become pregnant. ‘
Their research suggests that the stage of pregnancy at which the child is exposed to marijuana is important and possibly affects brain regions that include cannabinoid receptors.
Still, they did not offer an explanation for why the drug may cause this benefit in some of the babies.
The legalization of marijuana throughout the United States, which has been implemented for recreational use in 24 states, has triggered a progressive experiment on the effects of cannabis use on populations young and old, pregnant and not.
US drug enforcement officials recently announced they would reclassify marijuana from Schedule One, which placed it in the same category as heroin, to schedule three, along with testosterone and ketamine.
The proposal, which will be reviewed by the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB), would recognize that it has less potential for abuse than some of the country’s most dangerous drugs, such as heroin and MDMA.
At the same time, the harms of marijuana use are becoming more evident. At least 290 American children have suffered brutal, preventable marijuana-related deaths over the past decade.
The largest proportion of deaths (95) involved extreme violence, including the case of a Texas man who murdered his girlfriend and nine-month-old baby with a knife while suffering from what was believed to be a cannabis-induced psychotic episode.
It also appears to be the driving force behind the increase in car crashes. A DailyMail.com/TIPP survey of 1,435 adults found that 52 percent said cannabis use was increasing the number of vehicle crashes.
Meanwhile, the 12.5 million drugged drivers who got behind the wheel was a 15 percent increase from the previous year.